Darkdan,
This game is pretty impressive just as it is, more so because this is your first effort and especially since you didn't have any beta testers.
The graphics were well done. I've seen games go "cartoon-like", but you had "comic book art" which came across nicely. Between the art, the hair, and the music, I kept thinking of the Dagwood comic strip.
My first impression upon starting the game was that you were going to go more for laughs. The introduction showing a slacker main character who picks up a crow as a sidekick, and then the crow heckles him continuously. After that, however, Greedy turns out to be quite a nasty piece of work. The end result was light-hearted ghost hunting, where I had been expecting more out and out laughter.
You really could have benefitted from some beta testers. Khris all ready commented on this once, so I won't belabor the point too much, but the game suffered from “creative spelling” and weird grammar. (I assume English is not your first language.)
The length, puzzles and pacing were really dead on. Yes, Gilbert should have walked faster (I set the speed to maximum), but with the introduction of the Medallion the players had the chance to skip ahead and even that still had a puzzle. I never found the key to the safe in the office, yet, I was able to finish the game without having to spend a hour or two randomly wandering through rooms, clicking on everything and trying all sorts of bizarre combinations I might have missed on the first go around. Honestly that is an awesome idea. The use of magic, talking to books and pentagrams, the items required to cast the spells, it all came together beautifully.
At some point in the game you should explain why it's called Venator -- A family of magic users can translate Latin, but most of your players can't.
BUG:
Looking forward to your next creation, and volunteering to be a beta tester!
- Cogliostro
